unpinkpanther
June 2, 2021, 08:19 AM
Hi there
First, let me say a big “thank you” to the kind SOWPubber who picked up Gordon’s Planning for Success report on my birthday (May 31).
To me, it was a great icing on my birthday cake to see yet another smart fellow get more clarity on creating action plans that really work.
Back to the reason for this post…
Maybe you know of the animation called “The Little Prince”.
Frankly it wasn’t one of my favourite cartoons while growing up (I preferred Danger Mouse, but that’s another story altogether.)
The Little Prince however has its fans, having won the César Award for Best Animated Film.
But not many people even know much about the writer who started it all when he wrote and illustrated the book “The Little Prince” back in the early 1940s.
His name was Antoine de Saint-Exupery. He was a skilled aviator and author, who had a habit of reading and writing while flying his single seat F-5B aircraft. (This was back in the World War 2 era.)
Now, Antoine wasn’t really on good terms with one of his superior officers, the French General Charles de Gaulle (who later became the President of France). Unfortunately, de Gaulle also wasn’t particularly impressed with Exupery and publicly implied that the author-pilot was supporting the enemy Germany.
De Gaulle’s declaration shocked Exupery. And that’s when his health issues got complicated as he became depressed and started drinking heavily.
On 31 July 1944, Exupery took off in an unarmed P-38 aircraft on a reconnaissance mission.
He never returned.
His body was never found.
And even though traces of his aircraft were later found as recently as 2003, no one really knows what happened to him.
But that’s not even what I want to talk about here.
Antoine made a statement which I believe every SOWPubber – and indeed every lifelong student – should take to heart.
Here’s what he said:
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
What does this really mean to you?
These days, we are all flooded with business information from every angle. If you are reading this, you are probably here on SOWPub looking for information to help you reach some business goal/objective.
How do you make sure you get information that will really help your business or idea?
I see a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that “more is always better”. I made that mistake myself, looking for more and more information on certain enterprises.
You can imagine how embarrassing it can be to have consumed HOURS of content on “How to become a Business Owner” for YEARS - without ever owning a business.
How can you avoid that happening to you?
I recommend you look out for “lean” business information that focuses on the FUNDAMENTALS.
A good example would be what Gordon Jay Alexander refers to as HOTSHEETS.
OK, I can’t speak for everyone. Maybe you still feel you need lengthy “detailed” business information that “holds you by the hand, step-by-step”.
In my experience, the lengthier business information usually tends to build up expectations that may keep you hopeful, building up lofty castles in the air. Until you wake up to realize that nothing much has really changed. And who knows, maybe you need to get yet another course…
Of course, I have nothing against business courses and books and tutorials. I’m a lifelong learner myself. They do have their place no doubt.
But if you're here on this forum, what I really think you need is business information you can act on TODAY.
That way, you can always get feedback on what you worked and what else you need to adjust.
But then, that’s just my opinion. What do I know?
Thanks for reading this. Please let me know what you think...
First, let me say a big “thank you” to the kind SOWPubber who picked up Gordon’s Planning for Success report on my birthday (May 31).
To me, it was a great icing on my birthday cake to see yet another smart fellow get more clarity on creating action plans that really work.
Back to the reason for this post…
Maybe you know of the animation called “The Little Prince”.
Frankly it wasn’t one of my favourite cartoons while growing up (I preferred Danger Mouse, but that’s another story altogether.)
The Little Prince however has its fans, having won the César Award for Best Animated Film.
But not many people even know much about the writer who started it all when he wrote and illustrated the book “The Little Prince” back in the early 1940s.
His name was Antoine de Saint-Exupery. He was a skilled aviator and author, who had a habit of reading and writing while flying his single seat F-5B aircraft. (This was back in the World War 2 era.)
Now, Antoine wasn’t really on good terms with one of his superior officers, the French General Charles de Gaulle (who later became the President of France). Unfortunately, de Gaulle also wasn’t particularly impressed with Exupery and publicly implied that the author-pilot was supporting the enemy Germany.
De Gaulle’s declaration shocked Exupery. And that’s when his health issues got complicated as he became depressed and started drinking heavily.
On 31 July 1944, Exupery took off in an unarmed P-38 aircraft on a reconnaissance mission.
He never returned.
His body was never found.
And even though traces of his aircraft were later found as recently as 2003, no one really knows what happened to him.
But that’s not even what I want to talk about here.
Antoine made a statement which I believe every SOWPubber – and indeed every lifelong student – should take to heart.
Here’s what he said:
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
What does this really mean to you?
These days, we are all flooded with business information from every angle. If you are reading this, you are probably here on SOWPub looking for information to help you reach some business goal/objective.
How do you make sure you get information that will really help your business or idea?
I see a lot of people make the mistake of thinking that “more is always better”. I made that mistake myself, looking for more and more information on certain enterprises.
You can imagine how embarrassing it can be to have consumed HOURS of content on “How to become a Business Owner” for YEARS - without ever owning a business.
How can you avoid that happening to you?
I recommend you look out for “lean” business information that focuses on the FUNDAMENTALS.
A good example would be what Gordon Jay Alexander refers to as HOTSHEETS.
OK, I can’t speak for everyone. Maybe you still feel you need lengthy “detailed” business information that “holds you by the hand, step-by-step”.
In my experience, the lengthier business information usually tends to build up expectations that may keep you hopeful, building up lofty castles in the air. Until you wake up to realize that nothing much has really changed. And who knows, maybe you need to get yet another course…
Of course, I have nothing against business courses and books and tutorials. I’m a lifelong learner myself. They do have their place no doubt.
But if you're here on this forum, what I really think you need is business information you can act on TODAY.
That way, you can always get feedback on what you worked and what else you need to adjust.
But then, that’s just my opinion. What do I know?
Thanks for reading this. Please let me know what you think...
